Greener Produce
Even if you are an avid Kangen Gardener, chances are you will still need to buy some of your groceries and produce elsewhere.
Where can you find the greenest produce?
For the freshest and healthiest food, local produce is your best option. Buying your produce locally will ensure that it has more nutrients than produce that has been shipped across the country or internationally1. Fruits and vegetables lose nutrients on the long trip to your grocery store and often bruise along the bumpy ride1. In fact, most supermarket produce is picked 4 - 7 days before it arrives at your grocery store, and only 18 cents of every dollar goes to the original farmer, while 82 cents supports the various middlemen2.
Meanwhile, local produce is usually sold within 24 hours after it has been picked. And local farmers are more likely to prioritize taste, nutrition, and diversity over transportability1.
Buying your produce locally is a responsible decision for the environment as well. On average, produce is shipped 1500 miles to your supermarket2. Think of the resources you can conserve just by cutting out the unnecessary middlemen and buying fresh ingredients from your local farmers!
Buying your produce locally, especially if it is Certified Organic, will reduce or eliminate your chances of pesticide exposure. Farmers are not allowed to grow produce with certain pesticides, but the US can still ship those dangerous pesticides to other countries - about 100 to 150 million pounds of pesticides to be exact3. The US only inspects the pesticides on approximately 1% of all imported produce to be sold in our grocery stores, which may have been farmed with the harmful pesticides3.
When you choose produce from local farmers, you can have peace of mind that the farmers have abided by strict regulations to not use certain pesticides.
If you need help finding a local farmer or farmer's market, go here, where you can search for small farms near you.
Once you bring home your fresh local produce, you will need to wash it with your Enagic® machine. Find out how to get the most of your clean produce with Kangen Water®.
1http://chge.med.harvard.edu/programs/food/nutrition.html
2http://www.localharvest.org/buylocal.jsp
3http://www.floridafarmers.org/issues/pesticides.htm
